Valentine's Cards

Today, we are sharing Valentines over at PRACTICAL SCRAPPERS.  I decided to take the challenge to create a Valentine project literally and made a couple of cards using leftover papers and bits and pieces from my PAPER BAKERY LOVE POTION #9 SCRAPBOOK KIT.  Yep, so far I have made four layouts and three cards from one kit.  AND, I have enough left over to make another card or two.  That's a pretty awesome kit, if you ask me!

Here is the second Valentine I made with my kit (the third card is an everyday card that I will share later):

I do not consider myself a "card maker;" however, this kit contained so many cute design elements that even my simple cards turned out absolutely adorable.  I am sure they will put a smile on my Valentines' faces!

Have you made your Valentine Cards yet?  Better hurry!  Only 7 days left to V Day!!!

P.S. - did you know that both PRACTICAL SCRAPPERS and PAPER BAKERY have sketches posted each month?  If you like to use sketches to create your layouts and cards, you are going to love these!  Be sure to check them out (and tell them Krissy sent you).

Christmas in July? Yes, Please!

PRETTY LITTLE STUDIO has a new Ad Challenge up that was exactly what I needed to motivate me to get started on my December Daily!  I have loved every single December Daily album I have seen for the past three years and kept meaning to make my own.  But once the holidays get here, well...things get a little crazy...and free time for this working gal is spent DOING all the things I want to record in my album.  I never seem to have the extra time to actually MAKE the album, too!  So, this year, I decided to get a head start.  And nothing beats the 100+ degree temperatures we are having out here in the Wild West than sitting in a cool air conditioned room planning Christmas projects (and thinking about the f-r-e-e-z-i-n-g 70 degree temperatures we generally enjoy during the Holiday Season.   Brrrrr!!!!)

 

So, I pulled out my PRETTY LITTLE STUDIO Christmas at Home Collection (and my Nature Walk Collection and scraps from all my other Pretty Little Studio Collections) and I got started on my December Daily Album NOW.  This year, when the Christmas season arrives, the only thing I will have to do is add pictures and journaling.  Even I can do that.  Here's to getting ahead of the game!  And here are pictures of my first three days in December - only 27 more to go...

 

December 1st:

I decided to use a blank art journaling album that I bought well over a year ago to create my December Daily.  All of the pages are made of craft paper, which provides a good base.  I can paint on each page, cover it with my patterned paper, or just leave it as is.  This smaller album has enough pages that I plan to use it for my December Daily for the next year or two and insert tabbed dividers for each year.  For my first page, I worked off a Pretty Little Studio Sketch found HERE.

 

 

I love adding little touches like these sequins, staples, and of course my "distressed sewing" complete with uncut strands left to hand down from the ends - a "technique" I picked up from the fabulous LISA WILKINSON.

 

December 2:

I mixed a lot of my scraps in non-traditional Christmas colors with these adorable deer die cuts from the Nature Walk Collection to create this page.  The inserted photo pocket page provides additional room for extra photos or journaling.  And I really love layering on top of my sleeve - especially with wonderful PLS die cuts!

 

My inspiration for this page was this week's PLS AD Challenge and this PLS SKETCH. (For those of you who like sketches, PLS has tons sprinkled throughout its blog that are absolutely perfect for projects like this!!!)

 

Let's take a quick closer look at my dear deer:

Isn't he adorable - especially with his pink twine bow?!

 

December 3:

It's another two-pager, complete with a large pocket that holds tags containing future wish lists and shopping lists and maybe a picture or two.

 

And, look!  Another deer, all dressed up and ready for Christmas!  I have to admit, I am a sucker for little baby deer holding candy canes - yep.

 

And that's it for me today.  What about you?  Have you started with any of YOUR Christmas projects yet???

Almost 13 - Pretty Little Studio Sketch Challenge

Are you ready for another sketch challenge? You are?! Well, then check out Keri Babbit’s wonderful sketch up this week at PRETTY LITTLE STUDIO!

Keri’s sketches definitely fit what one of my friend’s has called my photocentric style. And I love the way my Pretty Little Studio papers and ephemera “fit” this layout of my moody, pouty soon-to-be teenager. Those bright, cheerful patterns are the perfect contrast to the photos of whom I shall now refer to as “The Sullen One.”

To further draw the eye to my photos and the story I am telling in not so many words - I used a plain white cardstock background, which was framed by additional layers of green and pink cardstock.

Instead of the two rows of circles and two rows of arrows that are in the original sketch, I chose to use three small rows of hearts (love that heart paper from the Birthday Cake Collection!), which are stair-stepped down and one row of large arrows that I created by fussy cutting one of my papers from the Hopscotch Collection. I machine-stitched and distressed the edges of my papers to add a little texture.

I also layered a couple of my Pretty Little Studio journaling tags along with one of my calendar cards, and I decided to sprinkle a few sequins across my page. Why? Because they seem to be trendy again and, hey, I like sparkly things!

The June pointer at the top of my photo is simply the top of my small calendar card that I cut off – that’s right, I made two pieces of ephemera for the price of one! I wanted my numbers to stay inside the border created by my paper so I overlapped the “3” and raised it with pop-dots so you could see both the “1” and “3” clearly.

And that is it for me today. Be sure to head over to the PRETTY LITTLE STUDIO BLOG to check out Keri’s sketch and see what the other ladies have come up with! And, of course, I would love to see what fabulous layout YOU create using this sketch, too!

Oh! Be sure to check back tomorrow. I made Mother’s Day Cards – I might even get them sent off in time this year – go me!!

It's No Joke - I am the Paper Secrets Guest Designer!

It's no secret, I do enjoy playing along with the challenges over at PAPER SECRETS.  So, when the ladies over there asked me to be their April Guest Designer, I was more than happy to say yes!  And when I saw all the wonderful goodies they sent me from their store, I was even more happy that I said yes!  You know me, I research things - that's a large part of what I do for the job that brings in the steady paycheck.  And this is what I found out about Paper Secrets:

1.  They have a very nice selection of the newest collections out there;
2.  If you play along with their challenges, you can win a gift card to their e-store (that's free money);
3.  They have great shipping rates; and - saving my favorite for last...
4.  You can shop in your pajamas and the store is never closed!!!  Yippeee!!!!!

So, what did I get from Paper Secrets this month?  I got the Echo Park Sweet Girl Collection, which I used to create this layout, using the April Sketch and the twist to use ribbon or trim:

 

I LOVE that this collection contains a varied combination of papers, such as these bold graphic chevrons and vintage-y flowers.  With the sketch and all the pretty papers and sticker sheets (and with a little help from my Silhouette and sewing machine), this layout practically put itself together!

Here are a couple of close-ups:

I used this trim that reminded me of a tutu.  It reminds me of Lula's dress-up outfits, so it was perfect for this layout that features her.

I also love the look of doilies added to layouts.  However, to keep my paper from getting overly bulky and weirdly wrinkled from having a chunk of doily tucked under it - I cheat.  I cut the tucked under part off and just tuck the very tip of the remaining portion under the edge my paper.  This gives me the illusion of an extra layer without the additional bulk.

That's it for me today.  Be sure to check back on the 15th, when we will have another sketch reveal!

***NOTE, IF YOU ARE LOOKING FOR THE NATURE WALK BLOG HOP, IT IS THE VERY NEXT POST ABOVE - CHECK IT OUT!"

My Girl (My Minds Eye)

Have you heard the news?  My Minds Eye and Gossamer Blue have teamed up to host a fun little contest for a Guest Designer.  As soon as I read that, I felt like a little kid in a classroom, jumping up and down with my hand raised in the air, yelling, "Pick me! Pick me!"  And this is when I haven't even come down from my high of winning the My Mind's Eye Groundhog Day Challenge (found HERE)! But I can't help it *major whining here* It's My Mind's Eye *pouting and whining at the same time now* and it's a GUEST DESIGNER *whining, pouting, and a tic has started in my left eye*

 

Anyway, it just so happens that the week before I toddled out of my friendly neighborhood Archivers with a whole lotta MME goodied from the new My Girl Collection.  So, this layout would have been made anyway, maybe not today - but soon.

 

I started with a fun sketch by Liz Chidester that I found HERE.  Her sketch style just happens to fit my scrapbooking style, so her blog is definitely saved on my Favorites Bar.

 

I L.O.V.E. the sticker sheet that came with this collection.  The "my girl" arrow is actually the bottom strip of the sticker page.  I thought it was cute and would look good on my layout, so I cut it out and shaped it into an arrow.  The only thing that is not part of the My Girl Collection is the "take note" tab which is part of a journaling card from a different MME collection.  I cut it into strips and used the lined part of the paper as part of my title/journaling.

 

 

See, here's the title/journaling.  The title was part of a small journal card that I just cut up and outlined in black marker.

 

I love all the subtle layers this layout has.  You don't really realize how intricate it is until you hold the layout at an angle - like this...

 

 

That's it for me tonight.  Tomorrow is a new day and, with it, a new box of fabulous goodies for some projects that will be coming soon to a blog near you!

Live Inspired - A Practical Scrappers Sketch Reveal

Today over at PRACTICAL SCRAPPERS, we have the February sketch reveal and it is another fantastic one by our Practical Scrapper, Liz Chidester!  I love her sketch, but I decided it worked better with my papers and picture if I flipped the sketch upside down and mirrored it.  Whatever direction her sketch is turned, it is fantastic!

I used a picture that I love of "my boys" taken in December along with some artsy, wonderful STUDIO CALICO papers from a couple of different collections.  I love their bold, graphic style and thought it really suited this photo of these guys doing their "inspirational album cover pose" - especially since the clouds on the background paper seemed like an extension of the sky in my photo.

 

The top right corner of the paper had several blue lines that, to me, looked like the rays of the sun (yes, even though they were blue).  So, I layered and extended those with leftover strips of paper that I machine stitched in contrasting orange.  I printed out this great Silhouette quote four times in teeny-tiny letters and further accented each "ray of sun" with bright shiny gold stars, also from Studio Calico.

 





I added a couple of punched clouds that I randomly machine stitched across to help connect the clouds on the background paper to my picture. 

My journaling extended across the bottom half of my page, from here:



to here:

 

Liz's sketch certainly inspired me this week!  Why don't you print it out and give it a try?  And if you do, feel free to leave me a comment with a link to YOUR layout (and link it on Practical Scrappers, too!) - I would love to admire what you have created!

 

Until this time tomorrow (when I show you a Valentine's layout in non-Valentine colors), happy scrapping!

Practical Scrappers January Sketch Reveal!

 

I am so excited that Practical Scrappers is bringing back sketches! With my limited time, I find myself frequently using sketches these days, even if it's just as a starting point. Something about them kicks my creative inspiration into top gear and off I go! I love the sketch posted this month by our very own, Liz Chidester. To see it and the layouts by our other wonderful Practical Scrappers, click HERE.

 

As for my layout - I saw the sketch and immediately thought of my wooden Studio Calico snowflakes that I have had for over a year.  Why?  Because even though I love them (and just about all wood veneer shapes by Studio Calico) I don't do too many winter-themed layouts living in a part of the country where we have a 50/50 chance of wearing shorts and having the AC running at Christmas time!  But Liz's sketch and these fantastic LILY BEE CHRISTMAS CHEER PAPERS practically shouted out - winter layout, winter layout!  So I decided I could have a cold-weather layout, even if we weren't actually having cold weather at the time the picture was taken.

 

 I love that the Christmas Cheer Collection included stickers that could be used to make a banner - yeah!  *doing the I-Love-Banners happy dance* I doodled on my banner, added a little bit of machine stitching, and a few splatters of mist because - well, I really, really like doodling, misting, and maching stitching. 
 

Finally, I needed to add my title and a little journaling - a new fave of mine is combining the two into a long title, especially when I get to use a combination of different of letters - like this...

That's it for me today. Hope you have as much fun playing with this sketch as I did! And if you DO create a layout, feel free to comment and leave me a link to your blog or web gallery post featuring your take on the sketch - I would love to admire YOUR creation!

Pretty Little Studio - Sketch Play

I had my Saturday all planned out earlier in the week, complete with which crafty project I wanted to work on.  But when I was browsing through Facebook, chatting with my friends, on Friday afternoon I saw a fantastic sketch on the PRETTY LITTLE STUDIO Page that had me quickly revising my scrapbook plans and frantically hunting through my supply closet for some PLS goodies so I could play along.  Want to see the sketch that had me so happy?  Okay!  Just click HERE. 

 

Before I show you what I did, I want to tell you why I like PLS.  Yes, they have all sorts of C-U-T-E ephemera - and we all know how much I luurrrrve pretty paper bits and pieces.  But, most importantly (to me), they are located in my home state of South Carolina - just a hop, skip, and a jump away from my hometown, SUMTER, where I spent the first 19 years of my life (not to be confused with FORT SUMTER, which is actually located off the coast of Charleston, South Carolina and which is famously known as the fort upon which the initial shots that began the Civil War were fired.)  Bet you didn't know you were going to get a geography and history lesson in addition to a few pictures of my layout, did you?  Anyway, how can I NOT like a company that makes me think about my hometown and my roots every time I see its logo?  So - you clicked on the link to see the sketch (you DID click on it, didn't you?) and now, here is my layout...ta-da!

 

 

 I didn't have any of the suh-weet little tags featured on the PLS sketch, so I had to cheat and create my own using my Silhouette Cameo (Repeat after me:  I. Love. My. Cameo!). 

 

 

My papers are all by OCTOBER AFTERNOON (including the slightly crumpled background paper) because they have a similar vintage kind of feel to them as PLS.  Can you tell which OA collection most of these papers come from?  If you guessed the 9-5 Collection, give yourself a gold star.  Yep - proof that you can make just about anything Christmas-y if you set your mind to it!

 

 

My banner was made from some PLS pennant flags that I am almost certain I have had for about two years.  I remember I loved them when I first saw them and so I hoarded bought several packages.  I alternated sewing around the edges of each pennant with straight and zig zag stitches.  Then I added chipboard letters for my title and glued a coordinating button to the tip of each pennant.

 

I also had a LOT of small PLS Bingo Cards (again, that hoarding planning-ahead thing) in my crafty closet.  Remember when Bingo Cards were being used on EVERYTHING a year or so ago?  Yeah, that's when I stocked up.  Then I discovered - I'm not really a Bingo Card kinda gal.  But that's okay, because I AM the kind of gal who likes to use her Star punch.  And these Bingo Cards?  They make some wonderfully bright, festive, FUN stars! 

 

See?  They stand out and create a terrific top layer, especially with pop dots behind a few of them for added dimension.

 

And they, along with a couple of OA brads, compliment my cluster at the bottom corner of my photo perfectly!  Don't you think?

 

 

So there you have it.  The project that I HAD to drop everything for and complete RIGHT NOW.  And now I have a few more plans for those Bingo Cards that I can't wait to get started on.  Be sure to stay tuned...

Bringing Back the Sketch with Practical Scrappers

Happy TGIF this morning, everyone!  Over at PRACTICAL SCRAPPERS, we have decided to bring back sketches - can I get a big HOO RAH?!?!  That's right, over the next two weeks we have a fun card sketch and not one, but TWO, scrapbook page sketches for you!  My layout was creating using this wonderful SKETCH by Liz Chidester. 

My family and I had a fun photo shoot this past weekend so I had lots and lots of pictures to choose from.  My papers are from LILY BEE 's Christmas Cheer Collection (Lily Bee! - LOVE these papers and don't know how I could have missed out seeing their last few collections!)  - except for the background paper, which is a leftover piece from an older Lily Bee collection.  I chose two close-up headshots of the Bebe for this layout and decided to journal about her smiles - which aren't always so frequent these days.  Her getting-to-be-a-teeneger-OMG-crazy-hormone-surging-fueled mood swings have had us both running to our respective bedrooms and slamming the door shut a few times!  So when she is happy and cheerful - I want to scrap about it! 

I liked the very muted pale background for these close-ups of my child, but I felt they kind of made the pictures get a little lost in the midst of all the busy patterns in the papers.  To help draw the eye to the photos, I simply outline them in black marker.  Yes, it IS okay to write and draw on the front of your photos - I promise!

The banners and simple Chevron-style arrows were cut out with my Silhouette Cameo (best scrapbooking invention EVER - hands down)  I decided to play with the negative space trend a little and alternated using banner outlines in place of "complete" banners.  And to add a little dimension and continue to draw the eye to the pictures, I added my Chevron arrows in contrasting patterns on top of one of the banners, both under and on top of my pics.

My bits and pieces are just that - random things from random packaging, which were hanging out on my work table just begging to be used. The Christmas Cheer title is actually from the bottom part of my Lily Bee paper - you know, the strip you cut off and throw away. My "waste not, want not" Grandmother would be so proud of me! 

And that's it for me today.  Be sure to head over to PRACTICAL SCRAPPERS to see what other fabulous takes on the sketch our wonderful DT has come up with!

Sketchy Fun with Fancy Pants

I have always had a special place in my heart for Fancy Pants papers.  First, because I love the name - Fancy Pants.  You can't say it without smiling juuust a little.  Second, because I was using Fancy Pants papers when things first kind of "clicked" for me with designing scrapbook layouts.  So, needless to say, when I saw a package of papers from the Good Life Collection at my favorite LSS, it quickly went into the basket without a second thought.

I love the mixture of bold bright colors and cool pastels in this collection.  And I loved the different patterns, which were just the right scale to look good when used on shapes cut by my Silhouette Cameo.  The only thing better than my Fancy Pants purchase was logging onto the Fancy Pants BLOG and finding out they had a sketch posted that I could use!  So....guess who squealed like a little girl, completely ignored housework for a couple of hours, and instead sat down and played with her papers, sketch, scissors, and glue?  Ahem...yes, that would be me.

Here are a few close-ups:

 

This little row of paper dolls was cut out using my Silhouette Cameo.  As you can see, I thoroughly enjoyed sewing and misting everywhere on my layout.  And where I didn't sew, I doodled.

 

 

My sunburst was also cut out using my Silhouette Cameo.  I surreptitiously took the pictures during a wonderful conversation between Sweet Lula and me.  I loved capturing all the expressions on her face almost as much as talking with this little girl, who has an active, fabulous imagination!

Finally, I added some twine, another fussy cut flower, and a banner because...well, why not?

That's all for me.  Be sure to check out the Fancy Pants blog and give the sketch a try yourself.  And, if you want to share your take on the sketch or see other people's ideas, be sure to check out Fancy Pants on Facebook.

Until next time...